Supplement Ad Claims of the Month: “Patented” & “Patent Pending”

I see these terms used in a lot of dietary supplement ads, especially “patent pending.” The implicit assumption is – if a patent has been applied for or granted – it must be effective.

Not so. A patent is simply a legally-recognized grant of property rights over an invention, formula, or design. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a patent represents:

“…the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.”

“…the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention in the United States or importing the invention into the United States.”

There are only really two major criteria that must be met to be eligible for a patent:

“…it must be new as defined in the patent law…”

it must be “useful” – in the sense that the invention is intended to serve a useful purpose.

In other words, a patent is simply a legal instrument the patent holder(s) can use to keep others from marketing “copycat” versions of his/her/their work for a specified period of time (typically 20 years).

That’s all there really is to it. The patent holder is not required to prove that their process or product actually works to obtain a patent. Likewise, all “patent pending” means is that a patent application is on file with the USPTO. It isn’t a guarantee that a patent will even be awarded!

So, if you see the words “patented” or “patent pending” – you’d be wise to let your eyes just slide over them: they mean exactly nothing when it comes to proving that a product actually works.

Author: elissa

Elissa is a former research associate with the University of California at Davis, and the author/co-author of over a dozen articles published in scientific journals.
Currently a freelance writer and researcher, Elissa brings her multidisciplinary education and training to her writing on nutrition and supplements.

I’m afraid I can’t communicate in Portuguese. Paul’s review of Dietrine is here, however: http://www.ultimatefatburner.com/dietrine-review.html – if you’re curious about this supplement, perhaps you can get an English-speaking friend or co-worker to translate it for you.

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